A popular outdoor summer activity has always been barbecuing, whether it be simply a family affair or on a larger scale. A variety of barbecue grills and hibachies are sold each year to at least partially satisfy the demand for cooking devices used in such activities. These known devices are typically comprised of an open grill supported over a charcoal tray. Although such devices satisfy the demand of smaller groups of people such as families, etc., they normally have insufficient cooking capacity for larger groups. Although it is possible to make such devices larger, or to use a number of smaller devices, these devices are generally not very versatile or practical. For example, such devices do not have the capability of cooking very large pieces of meat such as whole pigs, turkeys, chickens, etc.
While large pieces of meat can be cooked in socalled "open-pit" barbecues, this procedure is cumbersome and time-consuming. Consequently, much planning and organization goes into this type of cooking. Furthermore, this type of cooking does not simultaneously allow for conventional barbecuing of smaller pieces of meat such as steaks or hamburgers.
In spite of the great popularity and demand for a variety of barbecued foods there has not heretofore been provided a cooking device which has sufficient capacity for large groups and which has sufficient versatility to handle meat of varying sizes. The present invention provides such a cooking device.